Description
What is BPA?
BPA (bisphenol-A) is a sythetic chemical compound added to many plastic products, most commonly found in plastic water bottles.
BPA May Cause Infertility in Men and Women
One study observed that women with frequent miscarriages had about 3 times as much BPA in their blood as women with successful pregnancies (13). What’s more, studies of women undergoing fertility treatments showed those with higher levels of BPA to have proportionally lower egg production and be up to 2 times less likely to become pregnant (14, 15). Among couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), men with the highest BPA levels were 30–46% more likely to produce lower-quality embryos (16). A separate study found that men with higher BPA levels were 3-4 times more likely to have a low sperm concentration and low sperm count (17). Additionally, men working in BPA manufacturing companies in China reported 4.5 times more erectile difficulty and less overall sex-life satisfaction than other men (18).
BPA Exposure Has Been Linked to Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
Human studies have examined the link between BPA levels and blood pressure.They reported a 27–135% greater risk of high blood pressure in people with high BPA levels (35, 36). Moreover, a survey of 1,455 Americans linked higher BPA levels to an 18-63% greater risk of heart disease, and a 21-60% greater risk of diabetes (37). In a later study, higher BPA levels were linked to a 68-130% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (38). Finally, participants with the highest BPA levels were 37% more likely to have insulin resistance, a key driver of the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (39).
